The time of my life
by ellis4zoey
Summary: What if there had never been a zombie apocalypse? Might Zoey and Ellis have met anyway? In this story I will attempt to write a way in which this might have happened. Somewhere in the story, Zoey will have to make a choice, and she will increasingly realize her choice might have consequences.
1. Atlantic blues

**Atlantic blues**

"I'm right over here", Zoey said. She was sitting at the table of her parents' apartment. They were arguing again, about her amongst many other things. Her mother had found out that the university had threatened to revoke her scholarship and expel her for failing to attend classes. Her father didn't seem too concerned and suggested that Zoey come join the Philadelphia police force where he was already working. "It's a good career for her", he said. But her mother was furious. "How can she throw away a good scholarship and a decent education? You always say how you want her to have a good life filled with happiness and a good partner like a doctor or a lawyer or something, how can you be so uncaring about this, Wade?"

Zoey sighed and repeated what she had said a number of times already, "I'm right over here". But her parents didn't listen to her, they hardly even acknowledged her at the table in their ever more heated argument. Her thoughts briefly took her away from the conversation. It was true she spent most of her time at university in her dorm room with her friend Fiona watching movies. Endlessly watching movies. She briefly had a crush on the quarterback of the football team, but he didn't acknowledge any girl that wasn't a cheerleader, and she wasn't the type to go and dress in skimpy skirts shaking her ass and boobs for anyone.

She was nineteen years old now. Her father had recently tried to set her up with the son of his precinct captain and she had agreed to date the young man out of courtesy. And during that date he had displayed some very old fashioned ideas about relationships and she wanted nothing to do with that, abandoning him in a restaurant after giving him a piece of her mind. Her father hadn't liked it when he heard about it, trying to change her mind but that wasn't going to happen. No boys for her for the time being, she was an independent woman and that's how it was going to be. Her parents seemed to be drifting apart, though. But that's why she had set up their upcoming summer holiday, to try and patch things up between the two of them, and also between her and them.

"Please, mom, dad, will you listen to me for a second", she cried out. And finally she had their attention. Both her parents saw their daughter nearly in tears. "It's not nearly as bad as they make it sound, and by the way I passed most of those classes, even if I missed a few of them. I'm still going back there next year". Zoey explained to her parents about the holiday she had planned for the three of them, and how she hoped they could all be happy. They were to go to Ocean View Park, on Georgia's Atlantic coast, near Savannah. There they would stay for twelve days in a holiday home where they could do lots of things like hiking, sightseeing and so on. "She's right, Carolyn", her father said to her mother, "it's time we listened more to her instead of talking about her". "Alright", her mother answered, "Zoey dear, thank you for setting this up, I'm sure we'll have a good time there".

A few weeks later, on the morning of their departure, Zoey felt happy. Nothing could possibly come in between her and the attempt to make things right. There would be no distractions in Savannah. Just her and her parents. Though she did wish her father stopped trying to set up dates for her with the sons of his colleagues, or rather his superiors, since all his suggestions seemed to involve some unspoken 'career element' for him. But as she had decided some time before, no more dating for the time being. Zoey had often been told she was attractive, and had drawn some attention from boys, but it had always been limited. She was essentially a nerdy girl with a fondness for watching movies or playing computer games with her dad when she was younger and with her friend Fiona from when she became a teenager.

During the flight from Philadelphia to Savannah Zoey sat next to her mother. Her father was asleep. Her mother told her she was very proud of her and that it was such a good idea to set this holiday up. "We needed that, dear. You must know we love you, both your dad and me, we're just worried about your future, we want nothing but happiness for you". "I know mom, but I can make my own decisions, and don't worry, I am going to get an education". "For what it's worth Zoey, I think you were right about me and your father having ignored you a bit". You both meant well, I know that", Zoey answered.

Zoey realized she had never been this far to the south. Most of her life so far had centered around Philadelphia. She wondered what Savannah was like. And she desperately hoped that Ocean View Park was everything the website had promised it would be. The reviews had looked good.

"Mom", Zoey asked. "Yes dear". "You know that picture of your ten year wedding anniversary, with the two of you and me in the middle". "What about it, dear". "I had it framed, and hanged it in my dorm room". "That's very sweet of you, dear". "It's such a happy memory, mom". "You will always be our little angel, Zoey", her mom said. "Always", her father added. He had woken up as they were approaching the airport. The plane landed without problems and they got out, collected their bags and went to find a cab that could bring them to Ocean View Park.

They arrived at Ocean View Park and it looked exactly as Zoey had imagined it would look. The three of them were assigned holiday home #327. "It's absolutely gorgeous around here", her mother told Zoey. "This home looks nice", her father added. After partially unpacking their bags the three sat together at the table to study the map and the event calendar that they had been given at the reception desk. It seemed like the park had everything. There were daily events scheduled for practically any leisurely activity you could dream up. That very evening there would be a dance event at the entertainment center and they decided to go. When Zoey had been younger, she had always loved to see her parents dance and maybe now they could get some of that feeling back.

To the three of them, and especially to Zoey, it seemed that nothing could possibly intervene in their time together at Ocean View Park. These would be twelve great days. And if there was some attention for her from local boys, she would be courteous, she might even dance with one or two of them, but there wasn't going to be any more than that. These days were planned for her parents and her, and not for strangers. After finishing the meal they enjoyed at the fish restaurant they headed towards the entertainment center, and it looked like there were quite a few people there already.

"Hey buddy, what are you staring at", a young man asked his friend. "Are you there, buddy. Hello! Contact! Earth to Ellis". The young man and his other friend laughed. Their buddy seemed to be staring at something. Or maybe not something…


	2. Savannah sweethearts

**Savannah sweethearts**

"What's Dave's dad want to talk to us about", Ellis asked his buddy Keith. "Ah dunno, bud, but I bet it ain't good". Not long after, the two young men along with their buddy Dave were in the office of Dave's father. "I got some good news for you", Dave's father told them. "As of tomorrow, we are starting a major upgrade of our automobile repair shop here. This means we'll be closed for a few weeks, while other repair shops take care of our most urgent business, and I've decided the three of you deserve a little holiday. You've all been working very hard for me so I want to give this to you. I've rented for you and your girlfriends a holiday home in Ocean View Park. You guys know where it is because you've all been there before. Now all of you relax, have some fun and then y'all come back now, you hear?"

The three young men went outside besides themselves. "This is wonderful", Keith said. "All paid for, for all five of us", Dave replied. "Which reminds me, Ellis, isn't it time you found a steady girlfriend? We never see you with a woman longer than maybe one or two dates". Keith added that holidays with six would be more fun than with just five. "Listen guys, I'm gonna go home now", Ellis said.

Keith mentioned to Dave that it was very strange that Ellis could never seem to keep interested in the same woman for long. Dave agreed, and said Ellis was essentially a mommy's boy who still lived at home with her. "You think the death of his father affected him", asked Keith. "I reckon", Dave answered. "But Ellis told me that he would know when the right girl for him was there. Then I asked him how, and he said he would know it when he saw her". Keith wondered how someone could know that someone was "Mrs. Right" without even going on a single date. Dave said that Ellis' mind worked in mysterious ways.

"He's still our best buddy, Keith, and I love him like I would a brother. And he'll find himself a Savannah sweetheart soon enough, just give it time". "Yeah, I figure he will. Do you remember the stunts we pulled, I'll never forget the look on the face of Ellis' elder sister when we did that one thing, remember that?" Both young men laughed long and hard thinking back of that one particular prank. The "Bullshifters", which is what the three men had taken to calling their group, had certainly earned a reputation in their part of town.

Ellis arrived home. His mother was already preparing food. It was just the two of them living in the house now, his sister Jennifer having moved out some two years earlier when she had gotten married. And she was now also a mother, which made Ellis an uncle. Jennifer often jokingly warned him not to teach her son any tricks or have him 'up to no good'. Ellis dearly loved his sister and his mother. "Ellis dear, are you coming my little man", his mother asked? They were going to have chicken according to his grandmothers recipe. "Mom, Dave's dad paying for me and the guys with their girlfriends to go on a week's holiday to Ocean View Park, just like he paid last year for a weekend to New Orleans". "That's wonderful, my little man, when are you going?" "We're going the day after tomorrow, actually, Dave's father is going to have the entire automobile repair shop modernized". "He's a good man. I guess you look up to him like a father. I miss your dad as much as you do, my little man. But you need to go out and have fun. And maybe one day you'll bring home a nice girlfriend?" "I'll know it when I see her mom, I told you that before", Ellis smiled at his mom. "I know my little man, have faith, remember what I taught you, always be a gentleman, never forget".

Two days later, the three best buddies Ellis, Keith and Dave plus the girlfriends of Keith and Dave left the reception building where they had collected the key to their holiday home and went towards it. "The park looks as nice as I remember it", Keith said. Keith's girlfriend Kristi, a redhead just like him, whispered to him that she was really looking forward to a week together, and not all of it should be spend with the other three. Dave and his girlfriend Rhonda would take the bedroom on the ground floor. Keith and Kristi the large room upstairs and Ellis the smaller bedroom which was also upstairs.

"Is there anything to do here", Keith demandingly asked Dave who was holding the event calendar. "There's a dance at the entertainment center tonight, I reckon we should go there", Dave answered. "But let's eat first", Ellis added in. They agreed and headed towards the steak 'n' grill restaurant near the event center. After dinner they walked around for half an hour or so before entering the entertainment center. The evening's music was to start off leisurely with music for everyone and they would start slowly upping the tempo until about ten o'clock when music would be catered to young adults. The entertainment center would close at four hours past midnight. All five planned to stay as long as that.

Keith noticed to Dave that Ellis was once again catching lots of attention from the girls around. Dave told Keith that was always the case because they can see Ellis is a good dancer, on account of him having an 'unfair advantage'. "Oh yeah", Keith laughed, "that's true". But Ellis did not stick with any girl for more than one or two dances. After an hour or so the three young men sat together at the bar, while the two girlfriends talked. They drank some beer but were still a long way from getting anything near drunk. Keith and Dave said to Ellis hey had more or less promised their girlfriends not to drink too much of the heavy stuff that night, so they would stick to beer. "So Ellis", Dave said, "what about the girls here".

But he got no response. "Hey buddy, what are you staring at", Keith wanted to know. "Are you there buddy. Hello! Earth to Ellis". Keith and Dave laughed at seeing Ellis stare in one particular direction. "What's up buddy", Keith asked again. "Oh my god…" Ellis was overheard saying. "She… is… an… angel…". "Who are you talking about", Dave wanted to know. "Are you OK, are you seeing things? You haven't had that much to drink yet", Keith teasingly added. "I mean that girl". Ellis tried to inconspicuously signal in her direction but without actually pointing. "That table over there, those two middle-aged people, I think she's their daughter or something, at least that's what I would guess". And now Keith and Dave saw her too. She looked about 19-20 years old, dark brown hair with ponytail. "Well, she's pretty, I'll say that", Dave said to Ellis. "No man, that's not it, you don't get it", Ellis told him.

But the one thing he could not get himself to do, is to walk up to her to ask her to dance with him. And yet his buddies Keith and Dave kept prodding him to do just that. But something had come over Ellis, he'd completely lost all his nerve and his speech was becoming more and more erratic like something embarrassed him. The two middle-aged people went to have a dance, and then some other guy approached the girl and asked her to dance. She seemed to agree and they went off too.

"Ellis, you lost your chance, why did you wait", Keith wanted to know. "I couldn't, can't talk to angels". "She's just a girl, Ellis, you can talk to her, don't use this 'angels' thing as an excuse. By the way, is that going to be your new excuse not to talk to girls now", Dave wondered. "Just a girl? Just a girl?" Ellis said, looking both Dave and Keith in the face. "Just a girl? That's like saying the Mona Lisa is just a sculpture or something. That's like saying Jimmy Gibbs is just a racecar driver. That's like saying this girl is just a little purdy. She… is… an… angel…".

"One thing is for sure", Keith said, "she's not your angel". "Yeah she's dancing with that guy over there now", Dave added. Ellis just sighed. Why did this happen now, of all times. He'd never had problems talking to women. Why did his nerves give out now, why couldn't he get himself to move when he had the opportunity, now some other guy cut in ahead of him and his chance might be lost.


	3. This was not my plan

**This was not my plan**

It was getting darker outside and Keith and Dave were back on the dance floor with their girlfriends, whilst Ellis was still sitting at the bar watching the table where Zoey and her parents were sitting once again. He was trying to work out in his mind why he had not simply walked up to her half an hour earlier and asked her for a dance. It was so unlike him as he was always a natural with women, his charm and looks usually produced the right results but this time for some reason his nerves had given out.

Ellis observed the two people he still assumed were her parents going back to the dance floor, and she was once again sitting there by herself. It was now or never, and since there were plenty of other young men around, he would have to be quick. He got up from the bar but found himself taking a mysterious detour. Going around several tables in order to approach her from the side rather than directly in front, hesitating every few seconds and his heartbeat increasing rapidly from his nervousness that he still couldn't explain.

For a second it seemed another young man went over to her but to Ellis' great relief he didn't. He was now less than five yards away from her and he heard himself breathing heavily. And then she looked in his direction. Ellis froze. But the girl smiled at him and said hello. "Hi", Ellis managed to say in his nervous state, "beautiful weather today, huh… emm… my name is… ehhh… I'm Ellis". Zoey saw that the young man was blushing. "Hi Ellis, I'm Zoey". "Well hello Zoey, I was wondering… ehhh… if you maybe would like…". "You want to dance? Sure, that's what we are here for, isn't it?"

As the two of them walked over to the dance floor Ellis took a really close look at Zoey. She was wearing a red jacket with a white shirt underneath and blue jeans with a black belt and some sporty shoes, her hair tied up in a ponytail and she had beautiful green eyes. She wasn't dressed very girly but he didn't mind, he was attracted to her for other reasons. Meanwhile Zoey had observed that Ellis was wearing a yellow shirt with a strange logo on it and the word 'Bullshifters', whatever that was supposed to mean. Like her, he too was wearing blue jeans, his hair was brown and curly and he had baby blue eyes.

There was a new song being played which Ellis immediately recognized, and he asked her if she knew the mambo. All his nervousness seemed to have disappeared instantly as he got into his element, which in this case was dancing. Zoey told him she didn't really know how to dance and Ellis suggested she follow his lead. Within a minute Zoey felt overwhelmed, he was an excellent dancer and she asked him about it and he told her that his mother taught dancing classes and had brought him along ever since he was six years old. The next song that played was a little slower and Zoey was still happy to follow Ellis' lead, there was something about this young man that drew her towards him.

In the meantime her parents were back at their table and scanned around for their daughter, whom they observed dancing with a young man. "I think that's a local boy", her father Wade said to her mother Carolyn. "Just let her have some fun", her mother answered. Ellis was very glad to be dancing with Zoey. He loved her name, it was a beautiful name for an angel he thought. The strange thing was, he didn't feel nervous at all during the dancing, and he asked her where she was from, and she told him she was from Philadelphia. He answered that he was from Savannah, in other words a local. But all the while he kept thinking to himself that this was the girl he had been looking for. But how could he know this for sure already? He didn't even know much about her, in fact he'd just met her. What he had always told others was that he'd know it when he saw the girl he always talked about, and now he knew, and that's what mattered. But would a guy like him stand a chance with a northern city girl? He didn't hold out too much hope.

Zoey said she was tiring a little bit and he suggested to go get a drink. Zoey went with Ellis to the bar and he had a beer while she drank cola. She didn't like beer, she told him. Ellis was starting to feel nervous again and tried to control his speech, speaking a bit slower to stop himself from stuttering too much. Zoey did think that this young man, this Ellis, was attractive, but reminded herself she wasn't here to date boys, she was here for her parents. But during their small talk she felt a strange kind of attraction to him slowly growing. He was so different from those few boys she had dated back in Philadelphia, and particularly from those that her father had tried to set her up with. He was a true gentleman, from the little information that she had about him. But no, this might at best be a summer crush and it would never be anything more, would it?

She saw that her mother waved at her, and she told Ellis she would go back to her parents. Ellis gathered all of his courage and asked her for another dance. Zoey agreed to that but she would go to her parents first. She sat down next to her mother. "Who was that", her mother asked. "He's just a local boy, and a good dancer", Zoey answered. "See Wade", her mother said to her father, "just what I told you". Turning back to Zoey she said "did you have fun, dear?" "Yes mom, he was a real gentleman, in fact I promised him another dance". "Your father and I are going back to our holiday home, will you be able to find it if I give you the second key?" "Sure mom, don't worry, I'll be there later". Her father said nothing but took one last look at that young man who was coming over to take his daughter dancing again, and he instantly disliked him. On the way back to the holiday home her father said to her mother that this young man didn't look very much like a doctor or lawyer and he'd better not be trying anything 'funny' with his daughter. Zoey's mother admonished her husband but also told him not to worry. Meanwhile it started to rain outside.

Zoey was back on the dance floor with Ellis and once again he was expertly leading her. Several songs, and several dancing styles passed and both of them seemed to forget time. Keith and Dave were at a table with their girlfriends watching Ellis and this girl that he had pointed out to them earlier. "Finally", Keith laughed. "His mom's dancing lessons are paying off big time for him now", Dave replied. Dave's girlfriend wanted to know why he couldn't dance as good like Ellis. "I know", Dave said, "but I make up for it in other ways, right"? The four laughed very hard as they all knew what he was referring to. It was now past one o'clock in the night and Keith asked Dave if Ellis had a key. "Yes he does, as do we". Keith suggested to his girlfriend they go back to the holiday home, and Keith went up to Ellis to say that they were leaving, Ellis replied he would stay for a few more dances. Not much later, Dave and his girlfriend also got up to leave and Dave waved at Ellis, who didn't see him.

After a series of up-tempo songs catered to the young adult crowd the local DJ started playing a romantic love song. Ellis hesitated for a second or two but then pulled Zoey closer to him, and she let it happen. Ellis was determined not to waste his chance again that night, his nervousness between dances alternating with confidence during them. But what was he to do, just tell her he loved her? That he thought she was this 'special' girl he'd always been searching for? She might not appreciate this very much, or think that he was some kind of weirdo who just wanted to get 'friendly' with her. And he didn't want to give her the impression that he was after that particular thing. No, what he felt was indescribable, he wouldn't ruin it in any way.

During the slow dancing he had pulled her close and she could look into his eyes. It was obvious he felt something for her, she could see that easily. But no she wasn't there for that sort of thing, this was to be a holiday for her and her parents, not to mess around with some local boy here near Savannah. But her mind became increasingly torn, no matter how hard she kept telling herself that this wasn't the time for boys or crushes, let alone more than that, she kept increasingly feeling more and more attracted to him. This was the kind of young man she could fall in love with, she admitted to herself.

Zoey was feeling tired, and said to Ellis she was going to go back to her holiday home. Ellis offered to escort her and she accepted. It was now raining pretty hard outside, a sudden summer storm having come up, and it was very dark outside. After some minutes she was unable to remember the route to her holiday home and the two of them briefly took shelter under a roof of a building nearby. "You could come with me to our holiday home, and sleep in my bed, I'd take the couch of course… ", Ellis said to her. He reassured her and specifically emphasized he wasn't after anything that night and feeling lost, tired and weary she agreed. Her mind still torn, but she hoped she had sized him up right and that he would be the gentleman that she thought he would be. Her parents wouldn't mind, she thought, if she just stayed with him for one night, and they weren't actually gonna sleep together so that was OK.

As they entered the holiday home it was dark inside. Both of them were soaking wet from the rain. "I have no dry clothes", Zoey said to Ellis. "I can give you one of my shirts", Ellis answered her. He reached into one of his bags and produced a shirt for her to wear that night. "I'll take the couch, of course, like I said", Ellis nervously told her. He went to the toilet as she took off her wet clothes and hung them up. Now she was just wearing one of his shirts, it was clearly too big for her but it was OK, she wouldn't feel too naked in it. He knocked on the door of the room and looked through the opening towards her, telling her he was going downstairs towards the couch and was about to wish her goodnight.

But something had come over Zoey and she now totally cast aside all the earlier promises she had made herself about not getting friendly with boys because she had wanted to spend all her time there with her parents instead. So much for all her plans. "Please stay with me, Ellis". Ellis started getting as red-faced as he had been all evening but she pulled him into the room. "I need your arms around me, like on the dance floor". Ellis was stunned, this girl was now asking him to stay? Why? What had brought this about? Did this mean anything? Was he right about his feelings for her?

Zoey sat on the bed and Ellis nervously sat down next to her. She leaned over to him and invited him to put his arms around her. She realized she had never gotten anywhere near this friendly with any boy but she now wanted to feel this young man's arms around her, just one night couldn't hurt, and it might as well be someone like Ellis who was friendly and a perfect gentleman, and that he was very handsome now that she saw him just wearing boxer shorts was also something she considered. Her parents would understand. "Please stay with me tonight, Ellis, just put your arms around me, I'm cold". "Okay", he nervously answered. They were lying down now and she pulled the sheets over them. He was on his back and she curled up towards him, and he put his arm around her. "This is nice", she said to him. She gave him a kiss on his right cheek and told him goodnight. Zoey seemed to fall asleep immediately but Ellis could not do so. He was by now extremely nervous and had to stop himself from breathing too heavily. His thoughts were running wild. "Oh god, she's an angel, and she's here with me", he thought to himself. Was she really cold? Sure it had been raining but it still was pretty warm outside, despite the storm. What did she feel for him if anything? He didn't know. But what he did know is that he felt totally in love with her. She was the one, no doubt. No matter how strange that might be just knowing her for a few hours. It was no crush, as far as he was concerned. But how would it continue, if it would continue at all. Maybe it would all be over the next morning. But for the moment, he knew this was the best feeling he had ever had. And finally he fell asleep.


	4. Don't you forget about me

**Don't you forget about me**

"Rise and shine…" Keith said when he entered Ellis' room the next morning at eleven o'clock in the morning. But within two seconds he jumped back out of the room and closed the door, hoping that he hadn't wakened Ellis. Keith ran downstairs and grabbed Dave by the shoulders. "Guess what, Dave". Dave was at first annoyed and then curious. Keith told him he had seen 'that girl' with Ellis in his room.

Ellis did wake up from some noise, but before he had gained full consciousness the noise seemed to have gone already. He figured he must have imagined someone making the noise in his room. And then he realized he wasn't alone, that girl Zoey was sleeping in his bed, wearing one of his shirts. She too was about to wake up. "Good morning", Ellis said. Zoey was still only half awake and asked Ellis what time it was. "Past eleven o'clock, ma'am" he answered, being overtly polite. After a few second, suddenly Zoey realized what she had done. "Oh no, my parents", she said. She hurriedly put on her still half-wet clothes, not even taking off Ellis' shirt. "I gotta go, sorry". She ran out of his room and down the stairs, out of the door towards the holiday home where her parents were staying.

Ellis had been too stunned to react before she had left. And then he spotted something on the floor, it was a key. A key to holiday home #327. Ellis figured that Zoey must have accidentally dropped it or maybe it had fallen out of her pocket. He then dressed himself lightning quick and went downstairs. Keith ran up to him and asked about the girl, Ellis told him she'd spent the night with him after she had not been able to find her way back in the bad weather the previous night. Dave approached pointing at Ellis and laughing hard. "She run out of you already huh…". Ellis interrupted him and told him he'd go after Zoey to give her back her key.

Zoey ran as fast as she could and after some fifteen minutes she had found the holiday home in which she and her parents stayed. She fumbled around in her pocket only to find her key missing. "Oh no, as if it couldn't get any worse" she whispered to herself. She would have to knock on the door. She saw movement in the little home. Her parents must be worried for her. Then she knocked on the door, and her mother opened the door. "Where have you been?". "I'm sorry mom I forgot the time yesterday and with the bad weather couldn't find my way back". "Where did you stay". "That's not really important, mom".

Meanwhile they had moved into the house and continued their conversation, which was now joined by her father. "Well I think it is important, you were with him, weren't you". "Who are you talking about, dad". "That boy from yesterday, that we saw you with". "Nothing happened dad, we were tired". "Of all the guys in the world, you pick him? Some loser from around this area? The guys from our part of the country aren't good enough for you and then you go with someone from here? Unbelievable". "Shut up, Wade", her mother then said. And what Zoey had greatly feared seemed to be happening, her parents were arguing again, over her.

Then suddenly there was another knock on the window, Zoey saw it was Ellis. Her father was about to get up before being told off by her mother. Zoey went to open the door. "Hey Zoey, you lost your key in my room". "Thanks Ellis, you're really sweet". "Will I see you again?" "I don't know." "We could go see a movie or something". Zoey looked over her shoulders into the holiday home, and then back towards Ellis. She could tell him to go and do what she had originally planned to do, or she could abandon her parents again and spend another evening with this southern young man. "Ellis, I can't really see you anymore, not because I don't like you, but because I'm here with my parents. You were really sweet to me, but I don't think it would work out". She pecked him on his left cheek and said goodbye. He feebly answered with a goodbye of his own and she shut the door. After some minutes, Ellis dejectedly returned to his friends.

"I told him to go", Zoey said to her parents. "I'm so sorry, mom and dad, I totally forgot, it was such a nice evening yesterday". "That's OK, dear", her mom replied. "Hope that's the last we see of him", her father added. Zoey gave him a dirty look. But her father was determined to discuss her future further. "I think it would be a good idea if you reconsidered about Jimmy, he really likes you". Zoey's mother sighed and told him he really should stop trying to interfere in his daughter's love life. "No Carolyn, this needs to be said, he's a really nice boy and they would fit really well together". Zoey felt a depression setting in whilst her parents continued to argue. "Wade, The only reason you want her to see him is because he's the son of your precinct captain". "What has that got to do with anything, I'd think it was a good match even if he wasn't".

"Mom, dad, please stop!" Zoey said loudly. "We're here to try and have a good time, please, we should go outside, get some lunch and then we can walk towards the beach". "Well I think that's a good idea", her mother told her. Her father offered an apology for his earlier outburst and they stopped arguing. Zoey went to her room to change clothes. Then she realized she was still wearing one of Ellis' shirts under her own clothes. She'd have to return it to him. But that would have to wait.

Ellis had returned to the holiday home where he and his two friends and their two girlfriends stayed. Dave demanded to know what had happened. "I guess she ditched me", Ellis sighed. "What do you mean", Keith asked. "She sort of told me that it wouldn't work out". "You're not just gonna give up like that", Keith wondered. "I don't know, I gotta deal with this before I decide what to do, she's the one for me, I'm sure of it, but if she don't want, it ain't gonna work is it". Dave urged Ellis not to give up if he really believed this girl was 'the one' he'd always talked about. "You four should go out this afternoon without me, I got some thinking to do", Ellis said. And so it happened. Keith and Dave and their girlfriends headed to the beach and Ellis stayed behind, he laid himself down on the couch and thought about the whole situation.

Zoey and her parents were at the beach spending the afternoon there. It was very sunny as it often tended to be in this part of the country. How strange last night's weather had been with the sudden change to wind and rain, and now it was sunny again. Her parents told her they were going into the water for a few minutes and they'd be back. Zoey was sunbathing and tried to relax. But no matter how much she tried to focus on her parents her thoughts kept drifting off. Ellis was on her mind, and the more she tried to think of other things, the more thoughts of Ellis started dominating her.

What a difference between him and all those guys from Philadelphia that her father had tried to set her up with and that she just didn't like. Ellis was so sweet and he hadn't tried anything with her when he easily could have, and deep down, about one percent of her was actually wishing he had tried something. Yes it was true Ellis was also very handsome, but that wasn't the main reason she felt attracted to him. Her thoughts went further and further, did she really like her life up in Philadelphia? She wasn't sure. Would life down here in the South be better? Zoey tried to stop herself from having these thoughts, but she came back to them again and again. She missed Ellis already. And she still had his shirt, and that might provide an opportunity. Or maybe she would quietly keep it as a memento of him, something to remember her summer crush by. Her parents would come first, she couldn't risk it.

"I can't just give up, I can't just let her go without trying for it", Ellis said to himself. He was getting increasingly determined as the afternoon went on. He confirmed to himself that he loved her and would do practically anything for her. But what chance would he have? If she didn't think it could work out then it couldn't be, could it? Ellis had seen what he thought was despair in Zoey's face when she had told him that. What kind of a future could she have with him? Up North she had university, her parents, friends and so on, down South she'd have just him. "I gotta try, I'm gonna tell her", he then thought. Heck, he was even prepared to go up North just to be with her. He started wondering if he'd be able to get a mechanic job around in Philadelphia. The thought scared him, he had hardly ever been away from Savannah, and never been outside of the South.

It was past three o'clock and Ellis packed his gear, he would go to the beach to join his friends and their girlfriends. Maybe later that evening she would be at the entertainment center. And if not, he'd go find her the next day. But win or lose, he would commit himself. All afternoon, the word 'angel' passed his thoughts, and he became ever more determined.


	5. You can't always get what you want

**You can't always get what you want**

Ellis spent the remainder of the afternoon on the beach with Keith and Dave and their girlfriends. Both his friends saw him looking around quite a lot but decided not to ask him about it. Ellis was hoping the whole time to catch a glimpse of Zoey but he did not. He did not know it, but she and her parents were actually less than a mile away on that very beach.

Keith pressed his buddy about this Zoey girl, and Ellis explained to him that he had determined he would tell Zoey exactly what he felt. "You mean you didn't during that night?" Keith wanted to know. "No man, the moment wasn't right for it", Ellis told him. Dave pointed out to Ellis that he had to act if he really felt the way he did. You're always so decisive and pro-active at work, this shouldn't be a problem, buddy", Dave opined.

Evening came and after dinner they went to the entertainment center, but all evening there was no sighting of Zoey. Dejected Ellis decided to leave early and on his way back to the holiday home he sat himself on a park bench. It was just past 10 o'clock and it was getting a bit darker. Ellis could not think of anything else than Zoey. Would he ever see her again? Maybe she had left already? He knew that wasn't the case, though. Time passed by and many thoughts passed by. Ellis even contemplated going to the reception desk the next day to ask the home address of the people in holiday home #327 on some false pretense. But he immediately rejected the thought because he knew the reception desk wouldn't tell him.

"Hi Ellis", a voice said. Ellis was surprised and looked around to see who it was. It was Zoey. "Can I sit down here?", she asked. Ellis replied affirmatively.

"I got something that belongs to you", Zoey said, and she produced the shirt that Ellis had let her wear during their night together.

"Oh, thanks, I'd forgotten all about it", Ellis told Zoey.

"Why are you sitting out here alone, Ellis?"

"Well, I dunno, I guess I wanted a moment to myself."

"You don't fool me, Ellis, I can see in your face that there's something you want to tell me."

"It is kinda difficult to explain, you'd probably think I was some kind of weirdo or something."

Zoey smiled and then told Ellis she really wanted to know what was on his mind.

Ellis started to explain his thoughts to Zoey. "You know, Zoey, I've met many girls, but for some reason, it never felt right. And some years ago I thought to myself, I gotta have this particular feeling about a woman, and I figured that I would know that she's the one when I saw her. And I guess I should kind of say to you that when I saw you, that's the first time I've ever had this feeling. I can't even describe the feeling, I just knew it was there when I saw you. Zoey, you're the most amazing girl… I mean woman I've ever met. I just feel a connection on a far deeper level with you than I've ever felt it with anyone.

Zoey had started blushing. "Ellis, I kind of understand what you mean. But you must know there's a reason I can't be with you now. I'm here with my parents, and this holiday is sort of my attempt to try and patch things up between them and also between them and me. They've been arguing about my future for quite some time now, and I just want this time to try and make it right. I do like you Ellis, very much so. But I'm not in love with you. I will always cherish the memory of our moments together here, but we have to move on."

"It was kind of stupid of me to believe that I could just wish things to be", Ellis answered. "I will of course respect what you told me, but it does hurt. You know the funny thing is, I told my buddies about my feelings for you. They've been wondering why I've never had a long term girlfriend. All afternoon at the beach, and tonight at the entertainment center I was looking out for you because I wanted to tell you what I just told you. I had to know. I guess I know now. You know what I was thinking this afternoon? I was thinking I should totally marry you."

"Ellis, that is so sweet of you. I am absolutely sure you will find a beautiful woman to be with you. I kind of wish it could be me, you're everything a woman would want in a man. You compare very favorably with the guys my dad keeps trying to set me up with. But I shouldn't be with you just because of that. I told you already why we cannot be together. Please don't take this the wrong way, Ellis."

"I won't, Zoey. I respect you for saying what you feel. I guess I will miss you, despite that we barely know each other even now. And thank you for returning my shirt.

Zoey embraced Ellis and gave him a quick kiss. "I will miss you too, mechanic boy". Ellis smiled at Zoey and she told him goodbye. Ellis also said goodbye and then Zoey got up to leave. "You are really nice, Ellis, don't despair". Ellis couldn't get any words out anymore and Zoey walked away.

Ellis sat himself back on the bench and felt like crying, but he didn't mostly on account of her having told him he shouldn't despair. After about half an hour he got up and went back to the holiday home, and immediately went to bed and try and sleep. When Keith and Dave and their girlfriends returned, Ellis was however still awake and he joined them downstairs. Keith put an arm around his buddy Ellis when Ellis told them what had happened earlier that evening. "Man up, Ellis, you'll get over this sooner or later". Dave felt sorry for his buddy Ellis and promised to introduce Ellis to a few girls he had met the previous evening, before quickly apologizing to his girlfriend who wondered who these girls were he had supposedly met."

Zoey had mixed feelings as she walked towards her holiday home where her parents were already in bed. She felt sad for Ellis and kind of missed him already, but she felt happy because she and her parents had enjoyed such a good day. Her dad had finally promised to stop trying to set her up with guys, and he and her mother would not try to meddle in her life anymore except to the degree she would want them to.

The next morning, Zoey's mother Carolyn was awake early. She felt the previous day had been such a success and this new day was hopefully going to be just as good. When she passed by Zoey's room she imagined she heard something. Then it was briefly quiet, but the sound returned. Zoey's mother decided to knock on her daughter's door and then opened it. She was shocked to find her daughter lying face down on her bed, sobbing.


	6. Listen to your heart

**Listen to your heart**

Zoey's mother Carolyn knocked on the door she'd already opened, and Zoey looked up from her bed. Her mother then closed the door and went to sit on the edge of the bed. She could clearly see her daughter was very distraught about something. She thought about what a good day the previous day had been, so this was kind of a shock to her.

"My dear, what is going on, why are you crying? Is it something we did? We had such a good day yesterday."

"Mom, I can't really talk about it, our holiday here is too important for that. I don't want anything to come in between."

"You can tell me what this is about, Zoey. I promise I won't share it with anyone, not even your father. It will be our secret, you can trust me, I'm your mother."

Zoey was still sobbing a bit, but answered her mother. "I know, mom. This was meant to be our holiday, I want things to work out between you two. I told myself to let nothing come in between us and that idea."

Zoey's mother put her right hand on her daughter's shoulder. "But something has come in between, hasn't it? My dear, I can see it in your eyes. And I think I know what it is. You shouldn't be ashamed of it, dear."

"He told me I was the one for him, the girl he'd been searching for. And I told him I didn't love him…". Zoey started crying a bit louder.

"And that's not true, is it dear?" Zoey's mother sighed, she recognized her daughter's behavior, it kind of reminded her of when she had met Wade, Zoey's father.

"I hardly know him, mom. But I feel the same way about him what he told me he felt for me. But I couldn't, I couldn't risk it upsetting our holiday here. I want you and dad to be happy. I want us to be a family, and not arguing all the time. Dad obviously didn't like him, and I had to think of that". Zoey was trying hard to stop sobbing but couldn't quite manage it.

_Ellis had woken up early. Keith was up also and Ellis took the opportunity to pull Keith aside. "Can I talk to you for a moment", Ellis asked._

_"Sure buddy, what's up? Want to talk about what happened yesterday?"_

_"Yeah kind of. I misjudged my feelings completely. I mean I hardly know her, but yet I felt it very strongly, she is the one. But she told me clearly she didn't love me and that it couldn't work out. Can't always get what you want, right? It was all a big illusion. Well at least I have a few good memories of her."_

_"You know Ellis, these things can happen. I'm not gonna give you any stick for it. But you have to move on, you realize that don't you?"_

_"I know, and I will. I mean I guess it was just a summer crush that I totally interpreted wrong. But can you please keep this conversation secret between you and me? I don't want Dave to be giving me any grief or something over this."_

_"Absolutely, buddy. But I will tell Dave to back off from you. I mean we always make fun of each other don't we? But this time I will try to keep things in check. Are you gonna need some time for yourself now?"_

_"I appreciate that, Keith. Yeah I think I will need some time to readjust. I mean to get over this. I think I'm gonna go home, I don't think I could bear seeing her knowing it can never be."_

_"I totally understand, Ellis. Are you gonna leave now? Or will you wait for the others to wake?"_

_"Best to wait for the others, but I ain't gonna dramatize about it towards them. I will tell everyone I need some time for myself, and that you guys should continue to have fun here, I think that's very important. We shouldn't be too dramatic about this, I know that. When the others are here, I will say to them you all need to stay and keep having fun, and don't worry about me. If she doesn't want me, so be it."_

Zoey's mother didn't quite know what to say. Her daughter just told her she basically ditched a guy that was in love with her, and that she just admitted to being in love with. And she had done so out of consideration for her parents. She pulled her daughter next to her and put an arm around her. "Listen dear, both your dad and me think that this holiday here was a very good idea, and we are really having fun. Apart from that moment when your father talked about this guy of yours. But he's promised not to interfere with your love life anymore."

"But mom, he doesn't like Ellis. And I don't want you two arguing over me or Ellis, and I don't want you to break up. I mean if I went with Ellis, it would be all my fault. I nearly ruined it for us all."

"My dear, that's not true at all. First of all, while it is the case that your father and I have been arguing, the time we spent here so far has really made us realize that we have ignored your views for too long. You really did something wonderful bringing us here. And second, my dear, even if your father and I couldn't work it out in the end, it would never be your fault. Don't ever think you are the cause, even if we did argue about you. You're an adult now and you should make your own decisions and your father and me will make our decisions."

"But I can't stay here, I would lose my scholarship and you and dad would be angry about that. I really enjoyed seeing you two having a good time yesterday, and I don't want anything to come in between us. I've said it a few times before but I'm desperate to see things working out between you two."

"Zoey, dear, I want to say one thing here. Your dad and me could not be happy if you were unhappy. If our happiness is to come at the expense of yours, that is not something we want. Now I know your father said he didn't like this Ellis, and I do realize I cannot change much about that, but as your mother I cannot bear to see you unhappy like this. And yes I would find it disappointing if you lost your scholarship. But I would be far more disappointed if you gave up on potential happiness out of some well meant but misguided idea of taking our views on Ellis into account. There are other universities in the world. What is far more important is, that if you really feel that this Ellis is the love of your life, then you should not casually reject him or tell him you don't love him just to please your father and me. I can certainly speak for myself that I do not feel happy about knowing this. I want to see you happy, my dear daughter."

"But I can't go back to him now to tell him I do love him. I burned that bridge. I mean, I was the one who pulled him back into his room and asked him to sleep with me, and later I just tell him I don't love. He initially didn't even mean to sleep with me as he was headed to the couch in their home before I called him back. And then I said to him that it could never work out between us."

"I can't make your decisions for you, Zoey my dear daughter. And like I said, I really appreciate your efforts in making this wonderful holiday happen. But when you told him you didn't love him, you didn't mean it. You meant well towards us, but in the process you hurt yourself. I will just give you this piece of advice, listen to your heart. Your dad and me, we will work it out, I am convinced of it. But even if we cannot, you need to listen to your heart. If this young man is the man of your dreams, I don't think you should reject that on account of your dad or me. Listen to your heart, Zoey."

Zoey's mother firmly embraced her daughter. Zoey dried her tears and thanked her mother. She made her mind up to go and talk to Ellis about how wrong she had been. She felt very nervous, she would have to face him and own up that she had basically lied to him.

_Right after breakfast, Ellis said goodbye to Keith, Dave and their girlfriends, but told them he would see them soon in Savannah. He urged them to have as much fun as possible during the rest of the holiday and not feel sorry for him, he could deal with the hand he had been dealt by life, and he would move on. He just needed a little bit of time to himself. And with that, he went back home, leaving Ocean View Park behind him._


	7. Lost

**Lost**

Zoey knew that her mother was right. She had done something stupid whilst having noble intentions. She and her mother agreed to keep their conversation secret from her father for the time being, her mother would that day provide the distraction needed for Zoey to go to Ellis' holiday home.

But Zoey's first two attempts did not go very well, in fact the holiday home in which Ellis and his friends stayed was deserted. She figured they'd gone out to the beach or enjoying the surroundings of Ocean View Park. Zoey could hardly blame them, it was gorgeous around the area. Plenty of small rivers, forests, hills and mountains, wildlife and tons of other things to see. So instead of owning up to Ellis she felt the same way about him, she spent the day with her parents instead. The evening would likely provide the next opportunity, there'd be another dance at the entertainment center, the place she had first met Ellis. And Ellis, being an expert dancer thanks to his mother's lessons, would surely be there.

Her father did not notice anything was going on with his daughter. He was still relieved at his daughter having rejected that young man's romancing. Back in Philadelphia she would go back to university and she'd find a well educated boyfriend, no doubt. He wouldn't interfere, not anymore.

Zoey told her parents she was going to the entertainment center again that evening, and as Zoey and her mother had agreed her mother took her father on an evening tour of Savannah's historical district to keep him out of the way.

_Keith called to Dave that it was time to get the girls and go to the entertainment center. Dave replied that the ladies would need another half an hour or so and Keith took the opportunity to talk to Dave._

_"You think it will take Ellis long to get over that girl?", Keith asked._

_"Nah, it wouldn't be the first time he's very interested in something or someone, and a week later he's totally forgotten about it", Dave replied._

_Keith nodded in agreement, after all they both knew Ellis as a happy-go-lucky guy with the attention span of a five year old. "Why do you think she turned him down, Dave?"_

_Dave opined that in his opinion this girl turned out to be a stuck-up northern city girl who in the end thought she was too good for a sweet southern gentleman like Ellis. "Maybe it's a blessing in disguise. She'd probably turn out to be bossy and demanding."_

_Keith wanted to say something because he didn't quite agree with what Dave said, but then he noticed that someone was standing next to him trying to draw his attention. It was Zoey._

_"Hello, I noticed you were here tonight, do you know where Ellis is? I need to talk to him", Zoey said._

_"Whoa there miss. How long have you been standing there?" Keith asked Zoey._

_"I just got here, I'm looking for Ellis, is he here?"_

_Keith was confused, hadn't she told Ellis she didn't love him? But he answered her anyway. "Ellis left earlier today. Can I leave him a message?"_

_Zoey nearly panicked when Keith had said it. "Can I speak to you outside, please?"_

_Keith saw that Zoey seemed like she was in a hurry, and agreed to go outside with her. Dave watched and amused himself by thinking up unlikely scenarios._

Once outside Zoey tried to explain to Keith what was going on, but she didn't want to be too detailed about it. Zoey was very apologetic and Keith suggested he should try to call Ellis, which he did immediately. But Ellis didn't pick up his phone. Maybe he'd arrived home already. Keith decided to take that gamble and call Ellis on his home number.

"Mrs. McKinney speaking" sounded on the other side of the line.

"Hello ma'am, this is Keith Marshall."

"How are you doing Keith? You, Ellis and Dave been up to mischief again? Do I have to come to bail you out again?". Keith could overhear Ellis' mother laughing and he remembered that Ellis' mother had often helped the three of them when they had landed in trouble on account of their pranks. And it was her who had often taken him to the hospital as he always seemed to be the only one getting hurt. "But seriously Keith, is Ellis there? I'd like to talk to him."

Keith had to think of something quickly, why had he called? It was obvious that Ellis' mother thought that Ellis was still with them. So Ellis wasn't at home. That was strange, almost nine hours had already passed and it certainly wasn't that far. "I'm sorry ma'am, I was trying to call Ellis on his mobile, he told us he'd be a bit later at the entertainment center here, I was just checking in case he forgot". Keith knew he was telling a lie, but fortunately Ellis' mom bought the lie. She wished them a good evening.

Keith then turned to Zoey. "I'm sorry, miss, can't seem to reach him. I could take a message if you like". But Zoey needed to talk to Ellis and say the things she needed to say herself, and not through an intermediary.

"I need to tell Ellis how sorry I am, what I said to him wasn't what I wanted to say. I mean… I was confused, and distracted. I want to make it up with him."

Although Zoey didn't exactly told Keith that she really did love Ellis as much as Ellis had confessed to her he loved her, Keith had practically guessed this anyway. He was thinking hard, but decided to get Dave involved. Dave was as amazed as Keith was at hearing what Zoey had to say. Keith pressed Dave that they needed to keep this secret from all others for the time being. Dave agreed not to spill the beans to their girlfriends. But their priority now lay in finding Ellis, wherever he was. Zoey wondered how long she could keep these things secret from her father, despite the help from her mother. What would happen if he found out? Thoughts passed her mind she would rather that she didn't have. What had briefly been the time of her life was turning into an ever more complicated situation.

_Hours after leaving Ocean View Park Ellis was still on the road. He didn't know where to go, he didn't want to go home and face his mother. She would guess what was going on as she always did, he didn't have the face for lying and she could read him like a book. And what he had told his friends wasn't exactly entirely true either. He had said that the situation with Zoey wouldn't affect him too much or too long._

_But it already affected him tremendously. He'd known it, he had felt it, she was the one. And no he wasn't just trying to make himself believe she was the one for him, but he knew it. It was true. But how could it be after she had told him she didn't really love him or felt that they could be together. He felt desperate and silly at the same time. Desperate at missing out on the girl of his dreams, and silly for having believed the two of them could be together at all._

_Thought after thought passed through his mind. He barely knew her, so how could he know she was the one? He just did, that's what, he kept telling himself this. On the road the only stops he made was to get gas for his car or a snack. He barely realized where he was, he had long since passed the state border into Florida._

_Ellis kept thinking, there would be other girls, there were many beautiful women in Savannah, he'd have no problem finding someone. But then, he didn't want someone, he wanted someone special, and yes he wanted the girl of his dreams. One girl turning him down should not depress him, yet it did. As the day progressed it dominated his thoughts more and more. Attempts to drive Zoey out of his mind thinking about Jimmy Gibbs, horses, guns or Whispering Oaks failed._

_Early in the evening Ellis halted his car to eat a meal at the local Burger Tank in whatever the town he was in was called. After finishing he returned to the road and continued his path. It was starting to get dark. The sign said Palm Beach was just ahead. Suddenly he realized he had already driven over four hundred and fifty miles that day. Was he not just behaving very stupidly? The thought distracted him and suddenly his car veered sharply to the right, off the road._


	8. I'm so sorry

**I'm so sorry**

With his car veering off the road, Ellis had to react quickly, his car was bouncing along the grass and dirt. Somehow he managed to stop his car before it crashed into a tree, with about a yard to spare. Ellis sat still for about a minute, breathing sighs of relief. He cursed himself for his stupidity.

He got out of his car to inspect for damage. His car did not seem in too bad a state, it was mostly the bodywork that had absorbed the damage. As for himself, he had no real injuries apart from being shook up a bit.

After waiting a few minutes he decided to go back. He thought to himself "it's not like you to run away from things like this. I gotta make it right". Then he checked his phone and saw that he had received five calls during his drive. His phone had been on mute so he obviously hadn't heard. All five calls were from Keith, and he had some voicemail messages.

He started listening "Hi Ellis, this is Keith. Where are you man, we're all searching for you, it's kind of an emergency. No there's no one dead or wounded, but it's a different kind of emergency if you get what I mean. Get back here at once. OK buddy talk to you soon."

The other messaged essentially repeated the first message. Ellis figured it would be too late to call back immediately. And right at that moment the battery of his phone went dead. Ellis estimated he would be back at Ocean View Park early in the next morning anyway and could then find out what was so important.

_Zoey's mother and father, Carolyn and Wade, returned from their tour of the historical district of Savannah. They found their daughter waiting for them at the table._

_"Hi mom, hi dad, how was your tour? I hope it was nice", Zoey asked._

_Her mother looked at Zoey's face for any hint of what might have happened. It seemed to her that her daughter's plan had not worked. Was the situation between her and that young man now reversed, with him doing the rejecting? "It was very nice, Zoey. You really missed something. So how did your dance evening go?"_

_"It was OK, mom. I had a good time."_

_Her father, Wade, thought the tone of the conversation between his wife and daughter was very weird. Almost as if they were trying to hide something from him. And why had his wife so suddenly proposed for them to go to this historical tour anyway? He asked Zoey if she had met anyone interesting that evening, scanning her face for any hint of what might have happened._

_"Just the usual dad, I had a good time, did some dancing and a few drinks if you don't mind."_

_"Not at all, dear", her father answered. By now he was convinced something wasn't right. But he couldn't quite pin it down. It was time to go to bed, he'd think about it some more the next day._

_While Zoey's father was in the bathroom, her mother quickly sat besides Zoey and asked about the evening. "He wasn't there mom, he left. He left and it's my fault. Now I'll never see him again, even his friends didn't know where he was"._

_Zoey tried her best to hold back tears. Her mother tried to comfort her daughter as best as she could. Zoey feared what was going to happen. Their holiday and maybe more was going to fall apart as soon as her father found out, and he likely would find out. But the alternative was being miserable herself._

"Who could that be", Keith thought. He heard someone knocking on the window. Keith got up, it was early in the morning. Keith was feeling hung over from the previous evening. Whoever this was, he was going to give that person a piece of his mind. Disturbing folks while sleeping so early in the morning, that were no manners.

Keith then opened the door of the holiday home and looked. "Ellis, is that you? Where were you, man. What happened?"

Ellis came back in and Keith decided to wake Dave. Ellis started explaining to his two friends what he had done the previous day.

Dave could not believe his ears. "Ellis, you know I've heard of people getting themselves in trouble, and our buddy Keith here certainly has had his share, but this takes the cake. Do you know what happened here when you were gone?"

The whole situation was explained by Keith. Ellis turned a whiter shade of pale. He'd been even more foolish than he already felt. "Aw man", Ellis thought, "she came back for me and I wasn't there. My angel actually came back. I knew I was right the first time I saw her. And now I ruined it."

"What are you gonna do", Keith asked. Dave chimed in and said "You have to go see her, man. Do it now."

Ellis knew his buddy Keith was right. But how to do it? The situation made ever less and less sense to him. He thought about all that had happened. He'd seen this girl, and then started thinking she was the one, this special girl he'd always looked for. Then they had danced and spent a night together, the time of his life.

The next morning she had run off to her parents, and then he'd gone after her to return her key. She had then told him they couldn't be. And later she'd told him that again. Then his road trip, and now followed by this latest twist.

"Guys, I gotta go see her, I mean you're right. Did you get her number, Keith?"

"No Ellis, she didn't want to give her number to me, she wanted to see you personally", Keith answered. "Go see her. Ask her yourself."

It was eight o'clock in the morning, Ellis determined to wait until ten o'clock because he didn't want to wake Zoey or her parents early. "Keith, can you come with me, please? I reckon I could use some support".

"Anything for you buddy", Keith replied, "anything to help you."

_Zoey woke up earlier than her parents did. How had she gotten into this mess? And how would her father react if he found out? He'd already seemed skeptical the previous evening, but he hadn't said much apart from asking her one question._

_And the most important question of all, would she ever see Ellis again? How much longer could she and her mother keep up the charade whilst she was essentially waiting for news from his friend Keith. Keith had promised her the previous evening, before she had gone back, to contact her if he had news from Ellis._

_Zoey realized she hadn't even given her phone number to Keith. Yet another thing she would do differently if she could turn the clock back. She heard some noise, it was her mother who joined her at the breakfast table._

_"How are you doing, Zoey? You want to go and do something with us today? It's nearly ten o'clock already and we could check the schedule for events here, so we'd never be far away in case of you know what. And if that young man comes back, please consider your own happiness ahead of ours, Zoey. I cannot be happy if you're not happy."_

_Right about that time her father was about to join them at the table, someone knocked on the door. Zoey's father went to check out who that could be. He opened the door, and saw two young men there. Him. He was one of them. But his daughter had told him she'd rejected this guy's approach. "Look, my daughter doesn't want to see you, its better if you go away"._

_Zoey overheard her father say this and she started panicking. Zoey's mother told Zoey to go to the door, and her mother pulled her father away. "Now wait just a minute", her father protested as he was being pulled away._

"Hi Zoey". Ellis said, blushing. Zoey saw that he was very nervous. Ellis for his part saw her on the verge of tears.

"Ellis I'm so sorry", she said. "I am so sorry. I told you I didn't love you and I lied. I was just trying…"

She didn't finish the sentence as she could no longer hold her emotions in. As Keith silently backed away, Ellis folded his arms around her.


	9. A new life

**A new life**

"I just want you to know, my dear, it will take some time but he will come around, your father still loves you very much."

Zoey listened to her mother over the telephone. It had been several months since the holiday at Ocean View Park. Her life had changed. She was now living with Ellis in a small house in Savannah. She would start studying at Savannah College of Art and Design in the fall, and was helping Ellis' mother with all kinds of little jobs in the meantime.

"I miss you, mom", Zoey said. "But I made my choice and I don't think I will regret it".

"Zoey, like I told you during our holiday, what is most important is what makes you happy. And I understand that young man loves you very much."

"Yes he does mom, he keeps telling me that and I can see he means it. And I love him too. But will dad ever accept him?"

"Give him some time, like I said. I think he will. And I still need to thank you for setting up our holiday in the first place. The outcome was quite unexpected, I admit. But your father and I haven't been fighting since. He's just got to get used to the idea of his little girl growing up and making her own decisions."

"Thanks mom, I do love you. I will keep calling you, until next time."

Zoey put down the receiver and went outside. Ellis would soon be home from his job at the automobile repair shop. She was looking forward to seeing him again.

Thinking back Zoey couldn't understand why she had ever turned him down in the first place. He was just so caring, almost like the dream boyfriend she might have fantasized about just half a year earlier. She loved how he was so devoted to her, though sometimes it became almost embarrassing to her.

It was the one thing she thought they should work on, he should be more confident with her and not treat her like a damsel in distress so much. But his behavior was very cute and she enjoyed his company.

Ellis' buddy Keith had told her a few weeks earlier, during a night out, that it was the first time that the three "Bullshifters" had ever had a girlfriend all three at the same time. Zoey enjoyed being with the group. Keith was always funny, though often got into unintended trouble and had many minor accidents. Dave was more grown up but very opinionated and the heir to his father's business, whatever that was worth. But Ellis, he was her boyfriend, and she loved him very much.

Zoey saw Ellis' car approaching and he parked it in front of their little house. She walked up to him and he embraced her. "Howdy angel, how was your day?"

"It was fine, Ellis. I was helping your mother with decorations."

"Okay, that's good. Shall we go inside? I'll just get freshened up and maybe we can go do somethin'.

I could call my buddy Keith and…"

Zoey interrupted him. "Ellis, sweetie, we're staying home tonight. Your mom made us some dinner. We only need to warm it up. And we're gonna watch a movie together."

"It is one of dem scary movies, Zoey?"

"It's got no horses in them, but you'll see, sweetie. I got a special night planned for us, right here at home". Zoey winked at Ellis after she said it.

Ellis' eyes lightened up. "Well, my angel, in that case I don' wanna wait no more, let's go inside!"

And with that Zoey grabbed Ellis' hand and they closed the door behind them.

* * *

_In the end, the story didn't entirely go as I originally wanted it to. I had some real life issues coming in between, which caused the delay in posting the ending. Also, I kind of lost inspiration halfway through and this ending is kind of a fix for the story, because I thought it turned a bit messy and unfocused. But even without a zombie apocalypse, I wanted the pair to end up together. And what was briefly the time of their lives to turn into a lifetime together, eventually._


End file.
